PRAYING FOR THE YOUTH

The UN defines youth as those between the ages of 15 to 24. Today, youth represent 18% of the global  population or 1.2 billion people. 87% of youth live in developing countries facing challenges brought about by limited access to resources, healthcare, education, training, employment and economic opportunities.

Let us pray for the youth of Namibia and also bring The National Youth Council of Namibia before the Lord. The National Youth Council of Namibia  was established in March 1994 to address the challenges, opportunities and obstacles facing young people in Namibia and to foster among the Namibian youth a spirit of national identity, a sense of unity and self respect, as well as in depth awareness of social, economic, political, educational and cultural prospects and adversities.

10 CRITICAL PRAYERS FOR TODAY'S TEENAGER
by Terrace Crawford 

Terrance writes on his blog: I've seen the Lord doing some amazing things in the lives of teenagers this year. I know it's because of the work of God and the result of prayer.  Call me crazy, but I believe this generation of students will have an amazing impact on our world and will pursue God with a greater zeal and passion than the generations before them. I invest more time now in prayer for young people than I ever have.

Today, I want to share with you 10 things that I pray for today's teenager:

1. Purpose: I believe God has a plan and purpose for every student. I speak this over teenagers and ask God to, no matter what their circumstances are, give them passion and a deep-seated purpose for living. (Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 139:13-16; 2 Cor. 5:20; Jeremiah 1:5; John 14:13; Rom. 8:28-29)
2. Friendships: I spend time talking about the friendships young people develop more than other topics because I know the truth that you are (and become) who you hang out with. I pray God will give today's teenager wisdom in choosing their friends and that God will bring people into their lives who will point them to Christ. I also pray that He will use students to encourage and build up each other like never before. (1 Cor. 15:33; Heb. 10:25; 1 Thess. 5:11; 1 Sam. 16:7)
3. Character: Today's teen is bombarded with every temptation known to man, and the enemy is seeking to destroy their character. I pray that this generation of students may experience an ongoing transformation by having their minds renewed, and that they will be examples to the world in their speech, lives, love, faith and purity. I also ask for more great Christ-like role models for our students, particularly among their own peers. (1 Tim. 4:12; Rom. 12:1-2; Psalm 24:4)
4. Purity: I pray that God would give our students more of a hunger for righteousness than a sexual appetite, and that they would see through the enemy's lies. I ask God to strengthen them and give them the drive to flee sexual immorality and help them reserve the gift of sex for marriage. (John 8:32; 1 Peter 1:5; Heb. 13:4; 1 Cor. 6:18; 1 John 4:4; James 1:12-14)
5. Passion: May God grant this generation of teenagers an anointing of power by the Holy Spirit to be the greatest witnesses for Christ Jesus that we've ever known. I also pray that their zeal for obedience would supersede any other human desire that they have. (Acts 1:8; Luke 4:18-19; 1 Peter 3:15; Matt. 28:19-20; Gal. 5:24)
6. Money: The root of all evil is the love of money. I pray that God would give spiritual eyes to today's teen and help them to view money as a great resource for Kingdom purposes. May God grant them contentment in plenty or when poor because of their richness in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19; Matt. 6:24; Eccl. 5:10; Heb. 13:5; 1 Tim. 6:10)
7. Submission and Honor: I pray that this generation would submit to Christ and to those in authority over them. May he give them grace to love, respect and honor their parents, teachers, spiritual leaders and governing officials. (Eph. 6:2-3; Heb. 13:17; Mk. 12:17)
8. Spiritual Growth: I pray that God nurtures soil of the hearts of young people and grants them a greater sensitivity to their spirit so that they may grow in the knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ. I also pray for more passionate workers for the harvest of youth ministry. (Luke 2:52; Gal. 2:20; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 3:16)
9. Discernment: I pray God would give our teenagers the knowledge of the truth of God and spiritual eyes to see so that the enemy would not be able to deceive them. I pray they may also be able to discern between the teachings of the Living God and false gods or prophets. (1 Tim. 3:9; 2 Cor. 2:11; Jn. 17:17; Eph. 6:14)
10. Hope: May God help today's teen take every thought captive for Christ. I pray He would also fill every young person with the hope of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and protect their minds and hearts from hopelessness. May God also help them to cling to Christ during discouragement and soak up His strength when offering this same hope to others. (Gal. 6:9; Eph. 6:13; Phil. 4:8; 2 Tim. 2:13; Heb. 10:23; 1 Peter 5:8-9)

Join me in prayer for today's teenagers and share this with your ministry leaders.

Source: Terrace Crawford, a popular speaker and writer, is a channel editor here at ChurchLeaders.com. Terrace has been a mentor to students and youth workers for more than 15 years and connects with people everyday through his blog, www.terracecrawford.com